Winter vacation: in the USA you can warm up and improve your health in the deepest hot spring in the world

The writer shared her experience of relaxing in a resort with thermal mineral waters. If you need to reboot and relax, then you will appreciate this method, reports Travel Leisure.

Photo: IStock

Like most people tired of the pandemic, Amanda Eyre Ward, a best-selling author, has been looking for ways to relieve stress just about anywhere she could. When Amanda read that The Springs Resort & Spa in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, hired the doctors Markus Koplin, a naturopathic physician, as her first medical director, she was intrigued. Dr. Koplin's goal is to help guests understand the power of mineral-rich water to treat ailments ranging from insomnia to arthritis.

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“So, I thought, I love books about Victorian heroines “on the healing waters” in Switzerland or Budapest, could this age-old medicine work for people like me?” Amanda said of her thoughts before the trip.

mother spring has a depth of more than 300 m and is the deepest geothermal hot spring in the world. The Ute people discovered the spring hundreds of years ago, and since then its waters have been used for healing - indirectly. Mother Spring itself is too dangerous for humans, as its surface temperature is around 55C, making it too warm to be exposed to humans. But its waters are pumped into the pools around the spa, which are at different temperatures to suit everyone's mood. The waters contain 13 minerals, including potassium, magnesium, zinc, lithium, iron and manganese, which the hotel claims promote skin health, lower blood pressure, strengthen bones and muscles, boost energy and more.

When Amanda first arrived at The Springs Resort & Spa, a resort with 79 rooms and suites and 25 plunge pools, she headed straight for Mother Spring.

“There I took a deep breath and inhaled the smell of sulfur mixed with the cold mountain air. That’s when I realized why the Ute who came before us called this place “Pa Gosa,” which roughly translates to “foul-smelling water,” Amanda says. “But the scent dissipates as quickly as it appears, allowing you to focus on the task at hand: complete relaxation.”

She says that the bubbling azure water at the resort is a miracle.

However, you don't even need to be a resort guest to experience this. Spring-fed swimming pools are available free of charge along the San Juan River in downtown Pagosa Springs. There are also hot springs of the Piedra River or the more remote Rainbow Hot Springs.

After meeting with the source, Amanda headed to her spacious room, where she found many wellness "goodies" and several "bathing guides" that had been written by Dr. Coplin. It tells you how long to take a healing bath and how to get the most out of the experience, including what to eat before and after bathing and what is the optimal temperature. Also, the instructions described what happens in the body while swimming in water of different temperatures.

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“It is incredibly helpful for the bather to understand how different levels of temperature can affect his body,” Coplin wrote. “So he can go through multiple stages of hydrothermal self-guided healing to get long-lasting and exceptional results.”

Next to the guides there was a bag where you had to put your mobile phone in order to completely disconnect from the anxieties of the outside world.

According to Amanda's personal guide to soaking in the healing pools, she was to eat a nutritious dinner with protein, heavy greens and high fiber before the procedure. She says it was easy to accomplish thanks to The Barefoot Grill, an on-site restaurant located next to the plunge pools. His menu consisted of two parts, Amanda says - Comfort Food and Health/Wellness Food. “I tried both, ordering a burger with delicious coleslaw and one of the resort's divine soft drinks,” she says.

Then, as suggested by her guide, she went to the spring, which was right outside her window, to "experience its magic for yourself."

“It was evening when I approached the font, choosing the warmest one. I sank into the water. I lay down and looked at the stars. My muscles seemed to relax one by one. The mineral-rich water pressed against my skin. It was like the best bath in the world. The fresh air was invigorating. I switched between different temperature pools for a while, and when I returned to my room, I felt peaceful,” Amanda said about her first experience.

Sitting in warm water isn't the only way to relax. The resort also offers wellness measuresranging from aqua yoga to sound baths and more. The resort also offers a guided contrast bathing ritual called "Warrior Dive", which involves alternating hot water bathing followed by an ice-cold plunge to shock your body.

According to the spa, this therapy “improves blood circulation, detoxifies the body and reduces muscle inflammation. This is a natural way to exercise your vascular system by expanding and constricting your blood vessels.”

While the resort was the main attraction on Amanda's trip, she noted that there was a lot going on in the Pagosa Springs area outside of the hotel. From hot air ballooning over the Pagos mountains with Rocky Mountain Balloon Adventures to art galleries such as Two Old Crows. There are also many good restaurants in the city. Amanda noted Kip's Grill, Old Miner's, Alley House Grill и Root coffee.

“I left The Springs Resort & Spa feeling the same way I came for: renewal. And yes, I brought some bath salts with me to try and recreate the magic at home, although I doubt I'll ever be as successful in my tiny bathtub, says Amanda.

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Dr. Coplin added that he hopes guests will return to The Springs again and again. After all, the resort offers mineral-rich pools, nutritious food, pleasurable activities and spa treatments to help you recover from the stresses of everyday life and address complex health issues such as arthritis and anxiety.

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